Artist Krit Kunwar Rana’s maiden solo exhibition, titled Ardent Expressionism, took place at Bikalpa Art Centre, in Pulchowk, Lalitpur, on December 13. The two-day exhibit was inaugurated by artist and Chancellor of Nepal Academy of Fine Arts, Ragini Upadhyay. The exhibit had on display a total of 26 artworks that were based on expressionism. 

Expressionism, a form of art that emerged initially in Germany at the break of the 20th century, was a movement launched as response to a widespread anxiety about humanity’s increasingly discordant relationship with the world and lost feelings of authenticity and spirituality. 

Speaking to the Post about his work, artist Rana said, “This is a very subjective kind of art. Most of the artworks are objective: the feelings of the artist are expressed through objects. But expressionism is very different from those arts. Here you need to dig deep inside the emotion of the artist to actually understand it. There is very less or no object in the artworks. To put it more simply, it is an abstract art but with a twist.” 

He added, “The colours in these kinds of paintings are exaggerated to express the angst of the artist as do most of the paintings in the exhibit.”

Rana, a self-taught artist, studied in Australia and his works were previously exhibited alongside works by other artists in Australia. Speaking about his first solo exhibit at home, he said, “I am really excited to have my first solo exhibit, it actually is nerve racking. Painting and drawing has always been my passion, so this is actually a dream come true.” He went on, “Painting provides an outlet to my feelings. I have always been kind of a loner and have felt like I was not being heard. I have tried to express these emotions invoked by oppression through my paintings.” 

The exhibit ended on Wednesday, December 14.